Thinking about how to design your empty circle driveway but don’t know where to start? If that’s the case, you have landed in the right place! We have a bunch of list fantastic circle driveway landscape ideas that instantly make them the center of attention. Nope, you don’t need advice from experts. In fact, you can execute them right away as they are mostly simple and don’t need a bunch of equipment.
Furthermore, these beautiful ideas also feature modern, tropical, and minimalist arrangements. So, you can pick one that suits your home architecture. Can’t wait to see the designs one by one? Check them out below!
Table of Contents
- What is A Circle Driveway?
- What Can You Plant At The Driveway Entrance?
- Circular Driveway Landscaping Ideas with Water Features
- 1. Modern Driveway Landscaping
- 2. Rose Garden Fountain
- 3. Oasis Landscape
- 4. Fountain Pond Driveway
- 5. Island Bed Driveway Landscaping Ideas
- 6. Minimalist Driveway Setting
- 7. Front House Circle Driveway
- 8. Fancy Bird Bath Driveway Layout
- 9. Classic Circle Driveway Design
- 10. Aqualens Fountain Landscaping
- 11. Cutting-Edge Driveway Entrance
- 12. Colorful Circle Driveway Design
- 13. Sophisticated Circle Driveway Setting
- 14. Boxwood Edging Design
- 15. Deluxe Limestone Driveway Landscape
- Evergreen and Tropical Yard Landscaping
- 16. Lush and Green Driveway
- 17. Traditional Chicago Driveway Landscaping
- 18. Natural Circle Driveway Layout
- 19. Mediterranean Circle Driveway Design
- 20. Tropical Driveway Setting
- 21. Beautiful House Driveway
- 22. Green Circle Driveway Garden
- 23. Escalated Curb Design
- 24. Exquisite Purple Small Circle Driveway
- 25. Suburban Circular Driveway Design
- Final Thoughts
What is A Circle Driveway?
The circle driveway is a one-way street with the same entrance and exit point. It can be located on a public street or on private property. Moreover, it connects the driveway with the house, allowing the homeowners easy access.
In addition, this road design is quite popular in private buildings because it offers passenger drop-off areas and more expansive parking. From an aesthetic point of view, a circular driveway also adds value to your front yard appearance. If you can design it well, it is a focal point that can impress your guests.
What Can You Plant At The Driveway Entrance?
You can bring textures to come to play by planting several plants along the driveway entrance. Some of the plants recommended for you to grow include Mexican sage, Lantana, Texas Ranger, Russian sage, Lavender, Daisy, and many more. Before you decide to plant them, determine which plants match your driveway settings. Do you need fast-growing shrubs? Or those that can create privacy?
After that, you can start to choose which one is the best for decorating your circle driveway. Moreover, geographical conditions and climate are also important considerations in determining the type of plant to plant.
For those living in arid areas, it is better to choose drought-tolerant plants because they do not need a lot of water. Meanwhile, those living in cold regions must choose plants resistant to extreme cold weather.
Circular Driveway Landscaping Ideas with Water Features
Water features can add to the beauty of your circular driveway as they add a fresh touch to the landscape. Not only fountains, but you can be more playful by installing a fish pond in the middle of the circle driveway. Curious about how to design it? Let’s find out the most ideal for you!
1. Modern Driveway Landscaping
Let’s begin our list with this modern driveway landscape. Although not many elements decorate this area, the composition of colors and plants looks striking. The flowering trees showcase bright red flowers that look vibrant against green lawns. Meanwhile, the classic black fountain radiates water gracefully in the middle of the driveway, which is the center point of this design. Set lighting between mini shrubs on the tree bases to make a dramatic scene.
2. Rose Garden Fountain
For lovers of flowers, especially roses, maybe this circle driveway setting will be a favorite choice. It features roses that bloom as a barrier from white gravel spread outside the layer. Meanwhile, choosing the color of the black stones on the inner circle is brilliant because it can elevate the flowers even more. And, of course, don’t forget to install a multilevel fountain with a vintage design to match the setting around it. Make sure the color is not much different from your chosen rock shade!
3. Oasis Landscape
Rock gardening in the circle driveway area can indeed enhance its appeal. Plus, it’s super easy! You only need to arrange several types of rocks with different sizes and blend them into one location to offer different textures. What’s more? We recommend adding water features like a stone fountain that matches your driveway layout. They will provide a fresh touch, just like an oasis in the middle of the desert. In addition, it will be better to grow some plants like Russian sage or lawns to bring greenery around.
4. Fountain Pond Driveway
This setting is yours if you want a pond and a fountain for your front yard landscaping! However, the combination of the two will be too plain without any other colors. To fill this void, you can plant flowering shrubs on the retaining wall. Choose those plants whose flowers have bright colors, such as red, pink, yellow, or orange, so that the atmosphere of your circle driveway setting is more lively. Then, pour brown gravel following the frame from your driveway to create another outer layer outside the walls.
5. Island Bed Driveway Landscaping Ideas
Who can resist the beauty of the landscape design of this circle driveway? Instead of using blocks or pavements as borders, it combines two low-growing shrubs of different types and colors. Thus, you can get two beautiful layers in one frame. What a sight! Not to mention the idea of installing a stone-based fountain that makes this setting look natural, like being on a tropical island. Because no pond holds the water, we highly suggest you add rocks to cover the soil so that there are no puddles.
6. Minimalist Driveway Setting
Unlike other circular driveway landscaping ideas surrounded by beautiful plants, this one stands with a minimalist design. However, it doesn’t make it less attractive. The attraction comes from the vintage concept of a fountain that stands on a pond with a classic black color that exudes a bold aura. Meanwhile, the pond itself is built with circular bricks. Without flashy colors, this driveway will make a focal point among the green trees. You can adopt this idea if your garden concept is modern minimalist, so it’s not too plain.
7. Front House Circle Driveway
With this driveway design, not having a garden is no problem! It has an outer layer with sufficient space to plant various low-growing plants, such as viburnums, sage, and other types of plants that make your landscape rich in textures. In addition, the purple flowers of sage provide an attractive feminine touch amidst the green leaves. Moreover, you can install a fountain that allows the water to splash on the plants, but not too much. In order not to overflow the surroundings, it is better to build a pond to collect water from the fountain.
8. Fancy Bird Bath Driveway Layout
You would not have thought that a circular driveway could feature a fancy bird bath that will invite avian friends to visit your living space. To make it look more attractive, grow low-growing shrubs, like viburnums, for edging. Don’t forget to prune them in a circular shape that rests on one another to make them look clean and neat. Also, build a retaining wall as an inner circle. Although it requires regular maintenance to get those plants in shape, it will be worth it once birds start visiting this area to sip the water.
9. Classic Circle Driveway Design
Another simple circle driveway setting with a water feature you won’t regret building! The black and white colors will effortlessly match your home design. Meanwhile, the granite bowl fountain gives an effect like an infinity pool, where the water will flow into the pond. Instead of bright shades, we advise choosing black for the fountain so that it is not too visible when it is dirty. Thus, you do not need to do cleaning too often. Furthermore, grow some plants around the pond to feature greenery.
10. Aqualens Fountain Landscaping
Are you seeking inspiration to create a contemporary setting for your circle driveway landscaping? Congrats, you have one! This fountain’s unique design has a spherical aqua lens that floats on the water. At the bottom, there is a flat pond as a water reservoir. Not only there, the mini pond also appears to levitate on the green plants growing under it, like magic! Such an arrangement can easily be the center of attention in your front yard. To prevent the plants from being floppy, build a circular rock border.
11. Cutting-Edge Driveway Entrance
This cutting-edge design will capture your attention in a heartbeat by emphasizing the modern and minimalist side. You don’t need to bother growing plants and caring for them as it only features a flat fountain as the star in the area. In addition, you can also add black gravel around the fountain that matches the color. Even though there are no other decorations, this driveway doesn’t seem boring. Instead, you will be drawn to enjoy your time looking at this magnificent idea.
12. Colorful Circle Driveway Design
Contrary to the previous design, which highlights the simplicity and neutral shades, this circular landscape idea features colorful shades from various surrounding flowering plants. Other than that, there are two layers of different plants with green and reddish-brown colors as the background for the flowers. Thus, making the blooms stand out in the landscape. Not to mention the terraced fountains that complement this layout beautifully.
13. Sophisticated Circle Driveway Setting
The view from the circle driveway looks very luxurious. It is made of broken white marble that levels up the luxury with a mini-size fountain in the middle of the pond. You can build a border with blocks or pavements around it. Then, grow flowering shrubs with different colors, such as pink and yellow, to create an excellent color contrast. And instead of leaving it dark at night, install a light in the pool, right under the fountain’s flow, to radiate the light around it.
14. Boxwood Edging Design
There is nothing wrong with installing a fountain on your circular driveway as an additional water feature. In fact, it can decorate the front yard and provide relaxing sounds from the splashing water. However, planting boxwood would be better to add greenery to the surroundings. In addition, these low-growing shrubs can serve as a mini fence that protects the fountain. You can prune them to shape them the way you want.
15. Deluxe Limestone Driveway Landscape
Suppose you live in a classic European-style house. In that case, this exclusive circular driveway design suits you best! It uses limestone with a broken white, brown color that further emphasizes the impression of luxury. Not to mention the fountain with such elegant carvings and the character of the surrounding statues make this setting even more stunning. In addition, there are four bowls in each corner with a burning fire that provides lighting at night. To add other shades, you can plant flowers with bright colors, such as red and purple, and then combine them with white blooms.
Evergreen and Tropical Yard Landscaping
Are you those who like the green view of plants and trees? If so, then the following landscaping ideas are the right choice for you. In addition to green leaves, these designs also show the beauty of flowers blooming on the green landscape.
16. Lush and Green Driveway
Not everyone likes the circle driveway, which is full of plants and dense trees, because it is challenging to take care of them. However, some prefer such a design because it can provide shade and fresh vibes to the landscape. If you are one of them, you can try to create this lush and green circle landscape. The most important thing to prepare is the type of plant you want. Make sure you choose evergreen plants that will flourish throughout the year. Then, pick those with different leaf shapes to give various textures. You can plant them in layers, starting from the tallest plant to the lowest.
17. Traditional Chicago Driveway Landscaping
Sometimes, old designs make the best option because the arrangements are timeless. One example is this traditional Chicago driveway landscaping. It doesn’t take extra effort to make it. You only need to grow lawns to cover the soil. Then, plant flowers with colorful blooms and short trees with green leaves to give interesting color variations to the scene. In addition, add elongated rocks, such as rectangles, to offer a rocky accent in this setting.
18. Natural Circle Driveway Layout
Don’t be sad for those who can’t afford to buy or install a fountain. We have a no-less exciting alternative to decorate your circle driveway, the clay-based pots. Those jugs give uniqueness to your driveway design because the colors match the soil while not being too overwhelming for the plants that grow around them. For this design, we recommend plants such as foxtail ferns or ostrich ferns to plant next to the containers. They will serve as a background for the plants, making them stand out. You can also try to grow a short tree in the middle to offer shade.
19. Mediterranean Circle Driveway Design
Perhaps you will think that this design is too luxurious to try at home. In fact, it is easy! You only need to prepare a huge terracotta pot with red flowers to plant around it. Besides red, you can choose orange or yellow. But red is the best to highlight the Mediterranean theme. Meanwhile, the pavements of the driveway are optional. If you decide to make it, combine it with a reddish color on the edges.
20. Tropical Driveway Setting
After discussing the Mediterranean design with the red color that dominates the landscape, it’s time to move on to the green tropical setting. This driveway looks austere, with only a palm tree in the center surrounded by groundcovers. Nevertheless, it seems so eye-catching and manages to highlight the bold tropical theme. However, it will be best to build a border around it to avoid the car tires slipping into the ground. You can use stones or concentrate on ensuring sturdiness.
21. Beautiful House Driveway
Despite not having a front garden, you can take advantage of the driveway in front of your house to make a mini one! It doesn’t take tons; just prepare what plants you want to plant and some other ornaments, such as rocks and gravel. Make a multilevel design where the tree sits on a higher level than the low-growing plants. Then, arrange the stones as the border between leafy plants and trees and flowering groundcovers. Next, pour the gravel that you prepared earlier to cover the soil. Before adding the gravel, make sure you have planted all your plants so as not to damage the setting.
22. Green Circle Driveway Garden
No flowers, no problems! You can still make an interesting circle driveway by planting evergreen plants and trees on it. To balance the landscape, it is better to grow lawns that can cover the soil. Therefore, this setting will look cleaner. However, leave a little land to plant trees and arrange rocks to create a dry river bed. You may plant ground covers or low-growing plants across the bed to decorate this area. Also, build a border around the driveway to form a circular frame for a neater look.
23. Escalated Curb Design
This circular driveway features a unique three-dimensional design of evergreen shrubs planted on top. If you want to emulate it, you can start by creating a circular layout. Then, build a small road design that leads to one side of the driveway (you can choose whatever you please). Next, plant shrubs on both sides of the road. Don’t forget to shape it like a quarter circle with a hole in the middle to plant tall flowers. Lastly, grow lawns in the outer layer of the shrubs to make them seem escalated from the soil.
24. Exquisite Purple Small Circle Driveway
Circle driveways with lawns and flowers or a combination of flowers and trees may be familiar. But have you ever seen a driveway landscaping idea full of Russian sage like this one? Although small, it highlights the sage’s purple color, which makes it striking among the broken white gravel scattered around it. In addition, a metal ornament in the middle seems to have the shape of a gemstone, making this design look even more captivating. However, you can replace the decoration with a huge jar, bird bath, or fountain.
25. Suburban Circular Driveway Design
We don’t think anything can beat this design in terms of thoughtful color combinations, floral arrangements, and lawns. Moreover, accents of rocks and gravel are designed into a small path leading to the driveway, making this setting effortlessly one of the favorites. Instead of using stones for the border, it takes advantage of shrubs and lawns to make it look more natural. In addition, the tree is one of the complementary textures in this landscape.
Final Thoughts
Circle driveway landscape ideas will help you use areas considered unattractive to become one of the focal points that can be taken into account. You can try to adopt a modern, minimalist, tropical or suburban-style, that suits your taste. Some designs may require extra equipment and extra money, but we assure you, it will be worth it!
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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is the best tree to line a driveway?
Suppose you are planning to create or redesign the driveway around your yard with trees. In that case, you might want to try crabapple trees and flowering dogwood. The two trees will show their best beauty in spring when they grow exquisite blooms with white or pink colors to adorn the landscape. In addition to these two trees, you can plant them with red maples, which will offer the red shade of the leaves in the fall.
How do you landscape a circle driveway?
Landscaping a circular driveway is not that tricky since usually, the land is not too large. Thus, you can easily arrange plants, water features, or other decorations. But before that, it would be nice to start from the basics.
- Arrange pavers or block paths along the inner driveway to allow easy access from the entrance to your house.
- Ador the area with plants, trees, or fountains if you want to add a touch of water features.
- It is not a must, but we highly recommend growing flowering plants with different flowering periods throughout the year to make your circle driveway a focal point.
- Put rocks as a barrier. If you prefer shrubs, choose one that is low-growing (around 2 feet tall) so as not to interfere with your view while driving.
- Lastly, add garden lamps so you can still drive safely at night. In addition, the lighting also lets the decor shine in the darkness.
What do you put in the center of a circular driveway?
There are many ways to beautify your circle driveway. Instead of leaving it empty, try to grow flowering plants or trees in the center. They will display beautiful blooms in spring. Meanwhile, the leaves will turn reddish to yellowish, shimmering in the autumn sun. Also, don’t forget to add water features like a pond or fountain in the area to create a dramatic scene. Cover the soil with pea gravel or river rocks, so it doesn’t get muddy when it rains.
How do you decorate your circle driveway?
Decorating a circle driveway can be fun because it can decorate your yard. Some people like the simple design, while others bring it to the next level. Let us help you by giving tips to create yard driveway landscaping to make it look more attractive!
- Provide textures. Combine various elements that you will install in the area. You can do this by planting various plants at different heights, then scattering stones around them. Also, install textured concrete if you want to adorn the floor.
- Install a garden gate. Although it looks trivial, the garden gate will greet your guests with the charming circle driveway before entering the area. We recommend adjusting the fence design with your garden theme to keep it blended in.
- Build edges. Edging your driveway will make the design look neat and clean. If you don’t like creating barriers using shrubs, pavements or roadblocks are great alternatives that you can use.
